30 Years - Year 18

I was never a great student by any means. I rarely studied for tests, or put much effort into papers; I did the bare minimum to get passing grades. Trust me, not my finest moments but I’m being real here. So I knew that if I had any hope of getting into college, I needed to apply early! I was accepted into five state colleges; Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Based on the brochures, I was leaning towards Kansas. They had a beautiful campus and best of all, it was out-of-state!! But Dad wanted me to visit Wyoming and I did it to indulge him. Surprisingly, I fell in love with the campus. It was an old campus, but beautiful! My decision was made. Laramie, Wyoming was it!

I filled out the appropriate paperwork for loans, grants, and student aid. I submitted my requests for a roommate, checking off my interests and habits, and looked forward to opening anything with University of Wyoming return address on it. I was pumped!

Then the weekend of freshman orientation came.

Mom and I made the hour and a half trip together. I was idealistic and optimistic, so full of dreams for my college career. I got to meet with a Journalism advisor; I registered for my classes; met a wonderful girl and her parents, and managed to convince the school to put us together as roommates. We got to eat on campus, spend the night on campus, and meet with older students as they talked about what to expect during our first year away from home. It was a great weekend and made me even more excited for the semester to start!

Our last appointment for the weekend was with the financial aid office and it was in that office that I received the crushing news that I didn’t have enough money/aid for the year. It was devastating, and I left their office in tears. Being the oldest child, we had no idea how student loans worked, nor that I could apply for more loans. We simple had no idea what to do; we thought we were out of options.

It was a defining moment in my life. And with that, I felt that I had no choice but to stay home and go to our local community college instead.

Yes, it was incredibly disappointing at the time, devastating really. But looking back on that time, and seeing how my life has developed, I am so thankful! If I had ended up at the college, I have no doubt that Jon and I wouldn’t have made it. We would not be married, we would not have three beautiful children, and truthfully, my life is so much fuller than the one I had imagined eleven years ago.

I’m a coffee drinking, book reading, laundry procrastinating, husband and children loving, mess of a woman who believes that chips and salsa can fix anything. We have chickens running around the backyard, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and on any given morning, I have at least 10 school forms that need my signature or initials. It’s a crazy life {I prefer to call it controlled chaos}, but its ours.

About

Jenn in Munchkin Land

I’m a coffee drinking, book reading, laundry procrastinating, husband and children loving, mess of a woman who believes that chips and salsa can fix anything. We have chickens running around the backyard, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and on any given morning, I have at least 10 school forms that need my signature or initials. It’s a crazy life {I prefer to call it controlled chaos}, but its ours.